Roadrunners lose to CCU first time in 13 years

MILE-HIGH SPIKE: Junior Outside Hitter Alysa Heath throws down of her team-high 19 kills their loss Nov. 13, to Colorado Christian in the first round of the RMAC Tournament. [Photo by Floyd Brandt]

DENVER – For the first time since 1999 Metro State lost to Colorado Christian on Nov. 13, losing 21-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-17, 15-8 in the first round of the RMAC Tournament. The win snaps a 26-game win streak for the Roadrunners against the Cougars. The loss knocks Metro out of the tournament while CCU moves on to play the Colorado School of Mines this Friday in the semifinals.

“Just inconsistent, it’s a roller coaster and we’ve ridden it all season long and we rode it again tonight,” said Head Coach Debbie Hendricks.

Attack errors and poor hitting plagued both teams all night and it started in the first set where neither team was able to hit above a .100 hitting percentage. Metro playing slightly better than the Cougars was able to take the first set 25-21.

The second set was much like the first one as neither team was able to find their rhythm but Colorado Christian was able to find just a bit more. Metro had 13 of their 38 attack errors in this set as the Cougars were able to hold off the Roadrunners and take the second set by 3 points. Metro’s Tammy King would end the second set when she would serve a ball right into the net.

In the third set Metro started out hot jumping to a 10-5 lead. Both Alysa Heath, who had 18 total kills, and Daleah Whitaker, who had 12 total kills, combined for 11 kills in this set. Heath would be the one to close out the third set when a misplayed ball by Colorado Christian floated onto Metro’s side and Heath made them pay for it by slamming it back down, winning 25-18.

The fourth set was a breath of fresh air compared to the other ones where both teams were able to hit above a .100 hitting percentage. Colorado Christian had was hitting very well and after a back and forth set for the first 10 points, the Cougars started to pull away. Throughout the fourth set there were a total of four tied scores and three lead changes. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s freshman of the year, Taylor Sturms of CCU, was the one to close out the fourth set with a powerful kill that deflected off of Metro’s Alex Green and out of bounds to send the match to a fifth set.

Sturms would also open the fifth set with a kill and CCU began a string of points that put Metro in a hole going into that 8 point side switch, down 8-5. Once the teams got going, it was much of the same as the Roadrunners committed attack error after attack error to give the Cougars set point when who else but Sturms would get one of her game high 21 kills to take the match 3-2.

Now the hopes of an NCAA tournament birth remain in question and will find out their post-season fate on Sunday Nov. 18.

“I just told the team that I still believe that we have the ability should we make the regional tournament, and I think there’s a question about that, we have the ability to do something special but we’ve got to be more consistent and have a more aggressive mentality,” Hendricks said.

About Kevin Hall

I am currently a student at Metropolitan State University of Denver studying Broadcast Journalism. I am the Executive Sports Producer at Metro's news station, "The Met Report" and am also one of the Executive Producers for the Metro State Broadcast Network which covers everything Metro Sports. Sports is my life and my passion always has been and always will be.